Untouchable
by Stardrops
Summary: Lily is studious and mysterious. James is popular and arrogant. They'd never understood each other, and consequently been enemies. Their final year will change both of them. Can James warm Lily's untouchable heart when he begins to fall for her?
1. The Last Year Begins

**Untouchable**

**Stardrops**

Summary: Lily Evans was beautiful, intelligent and mysterious. People saw her as untouchable. James Potter was a handsome, outgoing and popular. The two despised each other –determined to keep their relationship strictly that of enemies. But as time went on, they began to grow up and developed feelings much deeper than hatred. Their mutual fear of love disappeared when they learned that love really does overcome everything.

Disclaimer: The characters, settings and basic plots of the Harry Potter novels belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing.

**Chapter One: The Last Year Begins**

September 1st came once again as the summer reached its end. The sun which shone so rarely in London once again went into hiding for another three seasons to wait for the next summer, and as the rainy, muggy weather returned, children once more packed their bags to return to their various boarding schools. The platforms of the train station were crowded with families bidding farewell to their offspring. Dressed in prim uniforms, complete with hats, trousers or skirts neatly ironed with creases in all the right places, starched white shirts with not a wrinkle in sight, and navy ties to match the blazers they wore with their school emblems carefully stitched on the left hand pockets. The scene looked remarkably like that described in a children's storybook.

Busy as the station was, it was strange that no one noticed the pairs and trios of people dressed in jeans and t-shirts pushing trolleys piled high with trunks of books, clothes and occasionally the odd owl or cat in a cage or carry box casually disappearing right before their eyes. As Muggle children returned to their schools, so too did the students of the wizarding world return to their beloved Hogwarts.

Behind the secret barrier between platforms 9 and 10, another platform hidden from the non-wizard people was busy with bustling mothers and fathers preparing their children to board the train. Luggage porters irritably threw trunks and suitcases into the luggage compartment, much to the dismay of the mothers who cried out in disapproval for fear that the padding on the suitcases may not be enough to protect whatever treasures their children may have packed. Students flurried about, giggling in groups and squealing in recognition of friends they hadn't seen during the summer. Scared looking first-years stood on the edges of the platform, slightly out of the way of the crowd, as if they hoped to disappear entirely.

Lily Evans watched the scene with a benign smile from the window of the Head Carriage, a compartment of the train that was reserved for the two students in seventh year that Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, deemed Head Boy and Girl of the school. Lily had received the badge during the holidays and was ecstatic. She resolved to work harder than ever before this year and to prove that Dumbledore had made the right choice in making her - a muggle-born witch - a leader of Hogwarts.

"Train leaves in five minutes!" called out a cheerful looking man with reddened cheeks, presumably the driver of the train. Immediately the pandemonium increased and mothers began sniffling at the sight of their children leaving for another term at school. Hands waved and students rushed about the train, determined to find carriages for themselves and their friends. As the train pulled out from the platform, many students cheered and called their last goodbyes to their parents. The school year had begun once more.

Lily pulled a book from her bag and opened it at the marker she'd carefully placed. Her ankles delicately crossed and her hands grasping a thick, serious looking book, she looked the very picture of respectability. She couldn't help but feel a little excited at the prospect of returning to school. She loved her parents dearly, but her sister was more than she could bear. Petunia, a Muggle, had never been particularly fond of Lily, but since finding out her sister was a witch, Petunia went out of her way to be nasty to Lily, and no matter how hard she tried, Lily could never find a good enough retort to any of Petunia's insults.

Smiling sadly to herself, she looked around the empty compartment. Outside were thundering footsteps as groups of chattering students found compartments to share, but Lily sat alone once again – just like she had done every year. She'd never really had many friends at Hogwarts. That was the price she'd had to pay for being the top student. She put her work before anything, and that had left little time for socializing. There had been times when Lily wished that she'd had someone there to talk to when times got difficult, but this year, she assured herself, there would be no time to even think about these things. This year was her last year at Hogwarts.

She would face her Head Girl responsibilities and her N.E.W.T.S, which were her only chance at getting the grades to fulfill her dream of being an Auror. She knew that this year would really count for her, and it was that fact that drove her to work so hard.

Another thought popped into her mind. Who was the Head Boy? Perhaps Remus Lupin – he was an extremely clever, responsible, all round nice boy. Maybe Frank Longbottom – he was also a clever wizard, perhaps a little less confident, but still a responsible student. As long as it wasn't Lucius Malfoy or Severus Snape. She could cope with anyone but those two boys.

There was a knock at the compartment window. Lily looked up as the door opened, ready to smile at whoever was coming to join her. As a person walked in, Lily's eyes first met the shine of a badge on their chest, reading HB – obviously meaning Head Boy. Her eyes slowly shifted upwards to meet the eyes of –

She changed her mind. She could cope with anyone but Lucius Malfoy, Severus Snape, or James Potter.

"All right there, Evans?" James smirked at her as he waltzed in; obviously very satisfied with the horrified expression Lily wore. She couldn't imagine spending a whole year sharing duties with James Potter. This had to be a mistake.

Lily's face fell completely, her attempt at a weak smile completely failing. "Y-you?" she stuttered. "You're not – no way – you're the Head Boy!"

James puffed his chest out a little more, proudly confirming her with a nod and a smug sigh of contentment. "Yep. Guess we can't avoid each other as much this year, can we?"

Lily gave a short, annoyed laugh. "What do you mean? You spend half your life following me around with every intention to insult and aggravate me, Potter. I hardly think that could be called avoidance. Now if you don't mind, I've some reading to do."

She returned her attention to her book, hoping that this would give James the obvious hint that she was completely finished talking to him. James, however, who was looking at her in amusement, sat down on the seat opposite her and observed her as she read, desperately trying to ignore him.

He had never understood Lily Evans. She was so incredibly serious, always reading and studying. The library was like a second home to her, and James was certain that this year, if she kept reading at the rate she always had, she would actually manage to read every single book in the library. She never took time for relaxation or fun, never joined in parties or games, and consequently had no friends. She had no enemies, but no one to really rely on or share things with. She was like a shadow. No one really knew Lily Evans. Girls admired her natural beauty, intelligence and her (usually) sweet nature. Boys were interested in her but were never allowed close. She was a complete mystery to the entire population of Hogwarts.

James was a little intrigued by her, but mostly just made fun of her. James shared one thing in common with her – they were the top two students in their year, something which always astounded Lily. She was the total opposite to him. James was Quidditch Captain, adored by girls all over Hogwarts, extremely popular with boys as well as girls, charming and now, he was Head Boy.

Lily however, had never had a boyfriend. She'd never been kissed, and never been on a date. That was not to say she'd never been asked, for boys often desired her, but she never accepted anyone. This was something else about her that James would never understand. James loved girls. He never stuck with them for long, he was certain to go through at least two girls in a month, but he loved being with girls and definitely didn't complain about being one of the most desired males at Hogwarts.

One of his favourite ways to torment Lily was to ask her out all the time. He knew she would never say yes, another thing which astounded him. Every girl he ever hit on completely fell for the Potter charm, even though it was a well known fact that the longest relationship he'd ever had was two weeks, and that was with a girl from Ravenclaw who had moved away. But he was considered the most desirable male at Hogwarts, competed only by Sirius Black, James's best friend, who was also a womanizer and something of a hottie. The two boys were the Sex Gods of Hogwarts.

And still Lily refused him every time he asked her out. The first time he'd asked her had been as a bit of a joke between him and the rest of the Marauders, but he'd pretended to be serious to see what her honest reaction was. She had given him an appraising look, and then said in a forced polite tone, "No, thank you." Then she'd turned back to the parchment she'd been working on at the time to complete her essay. James had been completely shocked, and since then had been intrigued by her. She was the only girl who had ever refused him.

It had actually hurt his ego. He'd never been rejected before. And since then he'd felt a mixture of interest and dislike of the Gryffindor girl. This was the main reason he teased her so much.

"Would you please stop staring at me? I'm trying to concentrate." Lily's eyes never left the page as she spoke in a completely emotionless voice. James blinked and smirked again.

"I'd stop staring, but you know Evans, I can't until you agree to go out with me."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Potter, we've been through this. I'm never, NEVER, going to go out with you, all right?"

James studied her. "Why not?"

Lily paused and finally looked up. "Excuse me?"

"Why won't you go out with me, Evans? If I'm going to be rejected, surely I deserve a reason." James waited in anticipation.

Lily replaced her bookmark and leveled him with a cold expression. "Which reason do you want?"

James blinked. "There's more than one?"

Lily counted them out on her fingers as she spoke. "One, you are a complete imbecile. Two, you only ever ask me out as a joke. Three, if I did go out with you, I would be your girlfriend for a total of a week – IF I was lucky enough. Probably not even that long. Four, we have absolutely nothing besides this badge in common. Five, and lastly for now, because I simply despise you, Potter."

With this final word, she picked up her book and her bag and headed off to the change rooms to change into her robes, leaving a stunned and somewhat miffed James behind her.

Blinking in amazement, he shook his head and leaned back in his chair, nodding his head as he digested what she'd said. "Wow … who would have thought Evans would have it in her to say something like that?" he said aloud to himself.

Footsteps came thundering down the corridor. Three boys fell into the room, one on top of another on the floor. On the bottom of the pile was the sandy haired, grey eyed, attractive Remus Lupin. In the middle was a plump boy with dirty blonde hair and pale blue eyes – Peter Pettigrew. On the top, laughing victoriously, was a dark and handsome boy; James's best friend, Sirius Black.

"Welcome, Marauders. Wouldn't want to make an entry now, would we?" James chuckled.

"You're in here alone," Sirius observed. "We thought you might have been with Evans again, you know – annoying the crap out of her like you normally are."

James looked indignant. "I don't annoy the crap out of her … well, not much anyway."

Remus snorted. "Yeah, sure."

"She was in here with me before anyway," James admitted. "She was reading, and then I came in and she was forced to talk to me."

Peter smirked. "Did you ask her out again?"

James looked as innocent as he could. "Well – I may have suggested it …"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "And?" he asked, grinning. "Did she bite your head off and tell you all the reasons why she wouldn't?"

James shifted positions in his chair casually and examined his wristwatch carelessly. "Something like that, yeah."

All three Marauders turned and looked at him with wide eyes. "And?" Sirius probed. "Tell us what she said!"

James relaxed and admitted, "She said I was an imbecile, that she'd never go out with me cos she'd only last a week if that, and that she hated me. That's the basic gist of it I suppose."

Remus whistled. "Wow … I think you're starting to annoy her a little."

Peter laughed. "A little? Yeah, perhaps."

James looked thoughtful. "I don't know why she doesn't just give in to me. Every other girl has so far." Peter snorted derisively, and James continued. "No, seriously. Any other girl falls for the Potter charm like a flash. Why doesn't Evans just agree to go out with me already? And why is she getting so annoyed at me so easily? All I'm doing is asking her out. Most girls see that as a compliment. She's always got to be so bloody difficult, doesn't she?"

Sirius, Remus and Peter simply exchanged glances. "Prongsie, haven't you gotten over that yet? You asked her out in third year, and at least every week since then. You've kinda earned that irritation from her, don't you think?" Remus said, choosing his words perhaps a little less carefully than he should have. James glared at him.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" James narrowed his eyes.

Sirius examined his fingernails very closely as he said, "Do you think perhaps the reason you pay her out so much is because maybe you actually like her?"

James gaped at him. "Me? L-like Lily Evans?" He burst out laughing.

Sirius, Remus and Peter all looked at each other in confusion as James finished his fit of sarcastic laughter. "Look, mates, the day I like Lily Evans is the day the Severus Snape gets a girl! Well – at least – the day he gets one without drugging her. She's a complete snob, a workaholic and has no understanding whatsoever of the word fun! I don't like her. No one does. It's not just a coincidence that she has no friends!"

Silence met this statement, and all three of his listeners sat somewhat still, looking slightly embarrassed. James looked at them all as if they were mad. Remus tilted his head slightly to the doorway, where Lily stood, one eyebrow raised as he took in her presence.

"Evans," he nodded to acknowledge her, trying to ignore the cold feeling that now wrapped his stomach tightly and all the while wishing he'd at least kept his voice down.

She said nothing, rather just nodded to the other three boys sharing the compartment and then left. A hollow silence followed her departure. Sirius and Peter were looking anywhere but at James, while Remus looked carefully at James who was staring at the doorway where the beautiful, untouchable Lily Evans had stood only a moment before.

"Shit," muttered Sirius quietly.

"Oh well," James said, brushing any guilt he felt to the back of his mind. "Game of Exploding Snap, anyone?"

&&&

The Marauders were silent once more, the only noise the night rushing past the window. Sirius was sleeping, his head resting on Peters shoulder. Peter was reading, and Remus was staring out the window. Lily had been forgotten – by everyone except James. He still remembered how hurt she'd looked when he'd turned to see her listening to what he'd said.

"Just because I told the truth, suddenly I'm the bad guy," James muttered to himself grumpily. Remus looked up.

"What's wrong, Prongs?"

James looked up hastily, unaware that he'd voiced his thoughts. "Oh – sorry, just thinking out loud." Remus nodded, but looked thoughtful. James could tell Remus knew how bad he was feeling about what he'd said earlier.

"Why don't you just leave her alone, James?" Remus asked quietly. "If you don't like her, perhaps this is not the best thing you could do. Why do you pay so much attention to her if you don't even want to be friends with her?"

James threw up his hands in frustration. "Because! Because she's so irritatingly perfect! She's so clever and beautiful and snobby and thinks she's just soooooo great - and it annoys the hell out of me!"

Remus arched a brow. "You think she's beautiful?"

James froze for a moment before leaning back casually. "Pfft. She's better looking than most of the girls at Hogwarts. But loads of girls are beautiful. Just because they're good looking doesn't mean I fancy them. What's your point?"

Remus gave him a sarcastic glare. "Because I think the reason that you pay so much attention to her is that she's the only girl you can't have. She's beautiful, like every other girl you've ever snagged, but unlike all the others, she doesn't like you in the slightest. And it kills you, doesn't it?"

James gave a short laugh. "For someone who's meant to be a Marauder, you talk a lot of crap, Moony."

"And on the subject of Lily Evans, James Potter, so do you." Remus shook his head and once again absorbed himself in the darkness shooting past at a frighteningly furious speed outside. James sat, frowning and grumpy, pondering what Remus had just said.

It was true. Lily Evans was beautiful. She had gorgeous, shiny red hair that she always pulled back in a ponytail. It was usually slightly wavy and seemed to curl perfectly against her robes while she worked in class. Her skin was pale, typical of redheads, and slightly freckled from being in the sun. But most astounding at all were the beautiful green eyes that shone from her face, glowing with pride whenever she got a good grade or a correct answer, that narrowed with anger every time James made a crack at her, that seemed so full of emotion but yet so shielded and guarded at all times.

James sighed and tried to forget about her. She was only a girl. He'd had so many before, and was likely to have more in the future, and none of them stuck in his mind as anything other than people he'd had romantic contact with. Most of them were on friendly terms with him still and that was the way he liked it. No strings, no possibility of having to worry about hurt feelings and angry remarks being thrown his way.

So why did the thought of Lily Evans sitting alone on the train, hurt and upset by James's unintentional insults, make his stomach clench with what was undoubtedly guilt?

He couldn't even be bothered thinking about it. She was a girl. Only a girl. And with that thought, James curled up in a ball on the seat and went into a doze with troubled dreams.

&&&

A/N: Hello and welcome to all my readers! Please review and tell me how it's going so far. I'll try to update regularly, but only if I get reviews because otherwise it seems pointless. If you bothered to read it, just drop me a tiny review, even one word or as some people have done on other fics of mine, just an emoticon! They brighten my day immeasurably.

This is my first serious attempt at a Lily/James. I really hope it turns out well. Anyone with ideas or suggestions, you are welcome to drop them in reviews or emails, I try to work in every suggestion or idea that is dropped by me. Any input, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.

Look forward to hearing your feedback! Hope everyone enjoys the story, and feel free to read any of my others. Some of the earlier ones are cringe quite crappy, I must admit. :P


	2. The First Party of the Year

**Untouchable**

**Stardrops**

Summary: Lily Evans was beautiful, intelligent and mysterious. People saw her as untouchable. James Potter was a handsome, outgoing and popular. The two despised each other –determined to keep their relationship strictly that of enemies. But as time goes on, they begin to grow up and develop feelings that go much deeper than hatred. Their mutual fear of love becomes a myth when they discover that love really does overcome everything.

Disclaimer: The characters, settings and basic plots of the Harry Potter novels belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing.

**Chapter Two: The First Party of the Year**

The horseless carriages trundled up the hill towards the school, filled with students talking excitedly. Lily shared a carriage with three girls from her dormitory. They'd exchanged polite smiles as they'd sat down together, but now the three girls giggled together while Lily sat watching the trees and hill rush past in the darkness. The warm autumn air caressed her face as she closed her eyes, smiling as she smelt the familiar scent of the school grounds.

The castle loomed ahead. It looked like it belonged in a fairytale, so beautifully lit up by torches and candles shining through every window, illuminating it against the otherwise dark background. In the distance, she could just make out the boats gliding across the lake before the carriages rounded a corner and they were lost from view. The trees stood like pale shadows in the Forbidden Forest, and cicada noises floated up from all around them. Lily sighed with sheer bliss.

"Are you happy to be back, Lily?" one of the other girls – Jenny – asked, turning her head and smiling.

Lily looked at her with a slight jump. She wasn't used to people talking to her at Hogwarts. She hesitated before returning the smile – a bit weakly, if truth be told. She was always a little cautious when people were nice to her at school, as though they would turn around and laugh at her for thinking anyone would want to be friends with her. Aside from having no time from friends, Lily was not short in insecurities.

"Yeah, a little," she admitted.

Another girl – Emma – turned around to face her completely and studied Lily. "It's really strange, we've been dorm mates for six years now and we hardly know each other." She grinned and held out her hand. Lily took it and shook it. Emma was a flirty, bouncy, blonde girl with seemingly endless energy and a seemingly endless list of boyfriends to match.

Jenny was one of the quietest girls in their dormitory, but she had always made an effort to say hello to Lily whenever they were close, and Lily liked her most of all the girls. "I always like coming back," Jenny continued, her voice quiet and tentative. She seemed nervous that Lily would become sharp with her. Her brown hair hung half in her eyes, and her hat was too big, so it flopped down low on her forehead.

The last girl sat there quietly, studying Lily. "We're having a party tonight with the boys. It's just in the common room, but it will be at, like, one o'clock. Do you want to come?"

Lily stared at her, shocked. "But tonight is a school night – I mean, we have classes tomorrow!"

"So?" Emma shrugged. "Why does that matter? So we'll be a little tired, we'll get over it. Oh, come! You've never been to any of our parties before!"

Lily looked down at her lap. "Well … I …"

"She's the Head Girl, and she thinks it's improper." A sneering voice came from the carriage beside them. Lily's head whirled around to see James Potter smirking at her.

The other three girls looked at Lily and the last one to speak narrowed her eyes. "You're the Head Girl?"

Lily nodded. She could feel heat rising into her cheeks. She wasn't used to being the centre of attention, and having people's attention focussed on her.

"Of course she is," Emma said, rolling her eyes. "I should have guessed that – you and James got the top marks in the year and Dumbledore would obviously pick Lily for Head Girl – she's so responsible."

"You need to get out more, Lily. You might actually learn how to enjoy yourself," James said, somewhat sarcastically. The carriage bearing the four Marauders then moved away from them, leaving the girls in silence.

Jenny turned to Lily. "Ignore Potter. But do come tonight, it will be fun."

Lily nodded, and before she could reply, the carriages came to a halt and she was being herded out by the Professors. She caught sight of James Potter, walking with his three loyal buddies. Her stomach clenched slightly and she felt hot with anger. How dare he embarrass her like that in front of all her roommates? They were finally getting along and he had to go telling them that she was basically a goody-two-shoes who never had any fun.

But ought she to go to the party? It wasn't strictly against the rules for students to have parties, but there was the rule about students going to bed at decent hours. What if they were caught?

But at least if she was caught, James would as well. She guessed he was coming from the smirk he'd given her, and she longed to go simply to show him up. Perhaps she should. But then – 'Responsible Lily' came out – she had been trusted with this position by Dumbledore. Would this be abusing her position in any way?

Shaking her hair back, she made a decision. She was not going to go tonight. Of all things that were important to her, being Head Girl came far before going to a party to show James Potter that she did in fact know how to have fun. Why should she have to prove anything to him, anyway? He was an arrogant prick and had no right to go around making her feel inadequate anyway.

Looking around, she began to walk slowly towards the Great Hall. She was only too aware of the other people around her, and for once, she found herself wishing that she wasn't walking alone.

&&&

The Great Hall was lit by many torches, flaming brightly and bringing a beautiful gold lighting to the room. The long house tables were set with cutlery and plates, but no food yet sat on the platters in the centre of each. Students all around waited excitedly for the feast to begin, while Dumbledore made his usual speech to welcome them all back.

Lily found herself not really listening for once. She was sitting beside Jenny, who had come to find her after she'd entered the Entrance Hall. It had made her smile to see the shy brunette come and take her arm, bringing her to sit with them.

Now the four of them were sitting together at the Gryffindor table, the Marauders beside them. Lily was separated from James by Jenny and Remus, and for that she was thankful. She couldn't remember ever disliking anyone as much as she disliked James at that moment. She'd despised him for most of the six years they had been at school together, and it wasn't likely to change as far as she was concerned.

She heard clapping and cheering, and looked up, startled. Food had randomly appeared on the table in front of her, Dumbledore was sitting down at the Head of the teacher's table, and everyone was tucking in. Not wanting to miss out on the good food, Lily grabbed the nearest dish and began dishing out portions.

Around her, everyone was gossiping and talking loudly and happily. Everyone seemed to be friends with everyone else at the Gryffindor table. This wasn't the first time Lily had noticed, she had to admit. But this was definitely the first time she'd been included.

Emma and Jenny in particular went out of their way to bring the conversation around to her. Sarah, the other girl, was slightly more interested in talking to the boys, but she did make more of an effort than usual to include Lily. Which is why, in a bizarre twist, Lily ended up talking to the Marauders.

"So where do you go in the summer, Lily?" asked Remus in a friendly voice. Lily had always liked Remus. He'd usually been the only guy to ever say hello to her, and she occasionally consulted with him on schoolwork.

She swallowed her mouthful of pie before answering. "I go home, to my parents and sister."

"Oh, you've got a sister?" said Jenny interestedly. "Is she a Muggle?"

"Yeah," replied Lily. "She's terrified of all things wizard."

A snort came from James. Everyone ignored him.

"So she's definitely not coming here, then?" Jenny asked.

"No – she's already in secondary school in London. She doesn't like anything to do with magic. She thinks all wizard folk are freaks and is not afraid to tell me so, unfortunately," Lily said with a dry laugh. She almost couldn't believe she'd just spouted all this to people who were nearly complete strangers to her. But they seemed so interested, and made such a good audience that she almost wanted to tell them more. She refrained, however, and took another mouthful of potato to excuse herself from speaking.

"Well, I shouldn't think we'll feel a great loss at that," James said nastily. "One Evans at Hogwarts is enough for us to handle for a lengthy duration, I think." He got up and left the table after speaking, leaving an uncomfortable silence behind him. Lily narrowed her eyes and watched him leave, feeling an immeasurable dislike for the boy.

"Er … sorry about James. He's feeling a bit off tonight." Remus said, trying to fill the void in the conversation. "Don't take it personally Lily, he thinks you're nice enough – I'm sure." Sirius shot him a look and Remus shut up after that. The conversation continued a little, though sounding a bit forced in some places. Lily found herself wishing that she had never opened her mouth in the first place.

He seemed to go out of his way to make her feel completely stupid. She could not tell exactly how his remark was supposed to offend her, but she knew it was intended to be insulting. That in itself was an insult, because as far as she could remember, James had only ever insulted her for his own pure pleasure. She could not ever remember provoking him.

He was just a stuck up, arrogant twit, Lily thought to herself, savagely stabbing a defenceless bean.

&&&

James sat in the common room, a book opened in his lap as he tried to distract himself. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not stop himself from remembering Lily's expression as he'd made a dig at her at the dinner table. He somehow wanted to hurt her as much as he could, and he didn't know why.

He shuddered as he remembered what he'd been thinking at the table.

When she'd been speaking, he'd actually felt interested in her. As though he cared about her, and what happened to her in past, present and even future times. This was absurd, of course. Lily Evans was a snob, and furthermore, of absolutely no interest whatsoever to James Potter.

He slammed the book shut, furiously throwing it with all his might towards the portrait hole. To his satisfaction, it hit with a loud thump and rebounded back to slap on the floor loudly.

He groaned and watched the flames in the fireplace moodily. Why the hell was there a fire in summer anyway? He was determined to find fault with everything that night, and the thought that the night air was rather cool and that perhaps having a fire was a better idea than not did not even occur to him. It seemed perfectly ridiculous to him, and as his mood was so furious at that moment, he was not likely to think reasonably.

The portrait hole opened and James looked up, ready to pounce on whoever was entering for disturbing his irritable yet agreeable solitude. But his cutting comment was silenced by the sight of the familiar red hair of Lily Potter entering the common room.

He simply sat and stared – his mind seemed to go blank. He was feeling it again – guilt. Why should he feel guilty? She deserved everything she got. She'd started this entire six year detestation by so rudely refusing his advances – jokingly as they may have been at the time – and he was not going to allow himself to take the blame for any injuries he might cause in the process of following a fight she had so evidently caused.

Lily caught sight of him, and her eyes darkened with dislike. She simply glanced at the book which lay near her feet, bent to pick it up and placed in carefully on a small table close by. Then, without a word to James, she walked up the stairs and into the girls dormitories.

He found himself staring at the stairway, wondering what she was doing right at that moment. He'd been expecting her to yell at him for what he'd said to her at dinner – not simply treat him with a look dripping with loathing and then simply leave him in his anticlimactic suspense.

He didn't have much time to dwell, however, the rest of the school was slowly thundering up the corridors to their respective destinations. The portrait hole opened and slowly the room filled with Gryffindors, full from the feast and happily gossiping about events of the holidays.

James stifled another groan, and got up to go to his own dormitory. He could not be bothered waiting for the other Marauders – knowing their eating habits, they could be some time.

He ventured up the stairs and opened the door to his dormitory. Just as he turned to shut it, for once not simply slamming it, he saw a flash of red fly past. Opening the door slightly, he watched as Lily walked down the stairs, her posture so perfect and dignified that she looked like a princess. He gritted his teeth and slammed the dormitory door as hard as he dared.

Why was he thinking of her like this! Why!

She was his enemy. Someone he lived to annoy. Yet she was having such a strange effect on him since term had begun that he could not understand anymore how she had, in his mind, morphed from enemy to fascination.

This had better be short lived, he told himself.

&&&

Lily had sat up late, reading her book. She was also finding it difficult to concentrate – but not because of James Potter. She was fighting with herself over whether or not she would go to the party that night. She knew she'd already made a decision, but now that the time was drawing nearer, her doubts came back and she found herself actually longing to go, simply to see what it would be like to spend some time with friends instead of constantly being in her own company.

Looking over at her bedside table, she caught sight of her Head Girl badge, shining so happily at her. It was her glory – something she'd worked so hard to achieve and yet never dared even hope for. And now she had received it, she was being sorely tempted to involve herself in activities that might lose her the position.

Was the temptation enough to risk it?

She gently shut her book and placed it on her bedside table beside the badge. She would just lie down and shut her eyes for a moment – she was feeling a little tired. Perhaps she would think better with her eyes closed, no other distractions…

A few hours later, though it seemed only a few minutes later, Lily awoke with a start. Someone was shaking her shoulder, trying desperately to wake her.

"Lily? Lily!" a girl whispered loudly. "Wake up! It's one o'clock, and we should be downstairs by now."

Lily rolled over sleepily, blinking in the harsh light from the girl's wand, and saw Jenny standing over her. Jenny's eyes were bright with excitement as she pulled the covers off Lily and threw open the curtains around Lily's four poster bed, and it was clear that she was not going to allow Lily to continue her slumber until she had attended at least a small part of the celebration.

Groaning, she sat up. Jenny handed her a set of robes that were lying on the floor beside her bed. Her own robes were on inside out, which Lily kindly pointed out to her before changing.

As the two girls readied themselves, Jenny kept up a small chatter – full of excitement. Lily found herself liking the girl more and more as time went on. These parties were not a rare occurrence, apparently. They seemed to have been being organised at least twice a term. Lily wondered how she had never noticed her dormitory mates sneaking off in the middle of the night.

Lily ran a brush through her hair and threw it on the bed. Jenny was looking very pretty with lip gloss and mascara, but Lily didn't see the point in wearing makeup to school. Particularly not when she was going to a party in the middle of the night and was likely to return to her bed within half an hour of attending. She sighed and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She knew she would look very ordinary beside her three roommates, but she simply couldn't see any point in trying to match or beat them. She simply was not pretty.

Shaking herself out of these thoughts, she slipped her feet into her favourite pair of slippers. Jenny was in the bathroom now, fiddling with the clasp on her silver charm bracelet. Lily looked at her own bare wrists and fingers in slight dejection.

The other two were already dressed and ready, and had slipped out to go and check the other dormitories to make sure there were no wandering first years or anything that might give them away in the common room

Jenny came bounding out of the bathroom and turned to Lily, smiling excitedly. "Are you ready to go?" she whispered, her breath coming out quite loudly as she exhaled to try and calm herself. Lily couldn't help smiling at her. How could she ever be jealous of this girl? Jenny was the sweetest, nicest person that Lily had ever met, and if things went well, was likely to be her first real friend.

"Ready," she agreed.

&&&

Remus sat on the couch in the common room, watching James, who was sitting beside him. The dim light gave him only a vague view of James's face, but it was enough to know pretty much what James was thinking about, and definitely enough for James to realise he was being studied and to get really pissed off.

"What, Moony?" James asked irritably. "Stop staring at me like that."

Remus sat back in the couch and folded his arms. "If Lily comes tonight, will you please act civilly towards her? She's never been to one of these parties, and you could at least stop picking on her for tonight. Please?"

James scoffed. "Oh please. She's not going to come. She'll wake up and then remember her duties and probably scold the other girls for even thinking about coming. She's such a stuck up, boring person."

Remus sighed. "She's a nice girl, James. If you got to know her, you'd probably really like her."

James nodded and laughed dryly. "Sure, Moony. Whatever you say."

"Really, James. She's just a girl, no matter how distant and mature she might seem. She's really just like one of us." Remus's eyes were serious, and he watched James's reaction closely to see if anything gave him away. James opened his mouth to retort, but found he couldn't think of anything to say. Luckily, at that moment, the three girls tip toed into the room.

And to James's surprise, Lily was with them.

She didn't look like she'd gone to much effort, she wore school robes that were slightly creased and a pair of fluffy black slippers, no makeup and no jewellery. James rolled his eyes and remembered what Remus had said about being civil for one occasion.

He decided the best thing would be just to ignore her. Then he wouldn't be tempted to say anything he might regret or be reprimanded for.

"So, did you bring the pastries?" he asked Emma, producing several bottles of Butterbeer and sitting them in an untidy row on the floor. Emma smiled and gestured to the three plastic bags that Sarah was carrying. He took them from her, giving her a wink at which she giggled, and spread the pastries out on top of the plastic bags.

"Now, everyone, tuck in!"

&&&

Lily looked around and smiled. She'd been at the party for about an hour and she had no intention of leaving even yet. After the initial silence while everyone munched on the delicious food and drink in front of them, they'd begun to have conversations about anything and everything. Lily didn't really join in, rather listened and joined in laughing.

James sat silently, moodily watching Lily. He hated the way his stomach felt slightly lighter inside him whenever he saw her smile or whenever she laughed. He rolled his eyes at his own thoughts and told himself, 'Remember, you said she was stuck up and boring. And she is.'

But as he watched her, he also remembered what Remus had said. "She's just a girl … she's really just like one of us." And as his observant eyes caught her movements, he found himself somewhat taken in by her beauty. Even beside her friends, who were each admittedly quite pretty in their own way, he noticed one thing.

The other girls all had immaculately brushed hair, shining with the potions they used to make it as healthy looking as possible. They wore lip gloss and eye makeup, and their clothes were picked to make their figures appear as best as they could.

But Lily sat with her school robes, probably from the previous day, no makeup and her hair only slightly brushed. She looked as if she'd just gotten out of bed (which she had, he noted). And yet – she was still eye-catching. There was no doubt about it, Lily was a natural beauty.

As these thoughts ran through his head, he continued to study her, his expression becoming less and less hating every moment. Sirius was recounting a story from their fifth year that had been told over and over but seemed to get more amusing and indeed, changed slightly and became more outrageous every time, and as Lily laughed with the others, James watched … and admired. He had never seen her look so calm and happy before.

As if she could sense his watching eyes, she looked up and met his gaze with a quizzical glance, one eyebrow raised questioningly. He quickly snapped his gaze away, his heart beating rapidly. His glance passed to Remus, who he noticed was also watching him, but with interest rather than curiosity. James gave him a glowering look and returned his attention to his croissant.

But at the back of his mind, something was bothering him.

He'd spent six years irritating, annoying, disliking and at some points, even hating Lily Evans. So why now, did he feel like every time he saw her that he wanted to impress her, or at the very least, make her think well of him?

Could he perhaps … _like_ … Lily Evans?

&&&

XO Moonsong: Thank you! I hope this is going the way you like it!

Hpandfriendsruletheworld: Wow, that's a pretty big compliment! Thanks heaps!

Pinkraindrop21: he feels guilty again in this chapter, don't worry. I think guilt is one of the best ways to convey his growing fascination for her:P

Kittyminky: I wasn't really sure, so I put Dippet in instead. I changed it though for you, cos you made sense in your review :P Thanks!

Evil Pilgrim: I'm not sure if that was an insult or a compliment, so I'll just say thank you, nod and smile. 

**A/N: **There's your second chapter. Now, I know this isn't following the story set out by J.K.Rowling, because James already liked Lily in their fifth year when Harry went back in time. But I always like making stories in the last year because it seems more significant. And making a gradual progression works better for me than starting the story from when he already liked her. If I started the progression from fifth year, this story would drag on like nothing else. So I'm going to stick with the start I've made and I hope that it works for everyone else!

By the way, In the first chapter, I wrote in Dippets character as the Headmaster, but I changed that after kittyminky reminded me of a few things to do with it. So yeah, keep in mind that it is Dumbledore who is Headmaster now, he's just a lot younger than he is obviously in Harry's school days.

Please review:D


	3. Just Another Girl

**Untouchable**

**Stardrops**

Summary: Lily Evans was beautiful, intelligent and mysterious. People saw her as untouchable. James Potter was a handsome, outgoing and popular. The two despised each other –determined to keep their relationship strictly that of enemies. But as time goes on, they begin to grow up and develop feelings that go much deeper than hatred. Their mutual fear of love becomes a myth when they discover that love really does overcome everything.

Disclaimer: The characters, settings and basic plots of the Harry Potter novels belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing.

**Chapter Three: Just Another Girl**

Lily woke early the next morning, her head hurting from dehydration as they'd slept with all their tower windows open. She drew her curtain wider and blinked in the bright light of the sun. It was entirely too early to be up when she'd been awake so late last night, but she couldn't stay asleep any longer because today was the first day of classes. If anyone was eager to get to class and absorb herself in schoolwork, it was Lily Evans.

She rose and drank a glass of water before dressing. Her heart was light and her face hurt from smiling so much the previous night. She'd had a wonderful time at that party – just being able to relax and hang out with people who were amusing and friendly. She hadn't often experienced that kind of thing, and it was nice to have been included for once.

If only James Potter hadn't made her so nervous the whole night.

She knew he didn't realise she'd noticed, but she had been uncomfortable beneath his scrutiny all night. She wondered what he'd been thinking, and prayed that he hadn't been coming up with plans to embarrass her further.

Opening the dormitory door, she looked back at the sleeping figures hidden behind their curtains. Her new friends wouldn't be rising for a while, she guessed. She quietly closed the door and tiptoed down the stairs to the Great Hall for breakfast.

&&&

Across the tower, the boys' dormitory was silent except for Sirius snoring gently. The boys seemed completely oblivious to the fact that it was morning, and slumbered peacefully. But behind his red velvet curtains, James was lying wide awake, his stomach clenched and forehead creased with puzzling thoughts. He couldn't understand why he was acting the way he was. There was no reason to be getting so uptight where Lily Evans was concerned. She was just another chick.

But even as he thought this, he found himself contradicting his own conscious thoughts with unconscious ones. He didn't think of her as just another chick. She was different to any other girl he'd been with. She wasn't interested in sleeping with the most popular or gorgeous boy at Hogwarts. She was looking for something better than that. James had never come across any girl like that – every other girl he'd seduced had been only to happy to become another notch in the bedpost of James Potter.

So did he like her then?

Closing his eyes, he knew the answer was affirmative. How could he doubt it? There'd never been such an element of mystery in a girl before, never such a captivating beauty. He knew he liked her. His friends could sense that he liked her. Did she know? Did her friends know? Girls were supposed to be receptive to that sort of vibe. But he hadn't been giving off friendly or flirty vibes anymore. He'd been sending hateful vibes, ones of loathing.

He couldn't help it, sometimes. He didn't like emotions. They complicated life far more than it needed to be. Anger was easy for him to deal with. He could punch someone and rid himself of it right away. Happiness and joy were also good. But when it came to things like love and guilt and sorrow, he couldn't do it. He'd do anything to turn it into one of the other emotions and make his life simpler. Shouting and getting angry seemed so much easier than crying or feeling guilty.

But he couldn't escape it this time. It had been hiding at the back of his mind since that first day on the train when he'd spotted her and realised that they were both the Heads. In fact … if he thought carefully, he hadn't hated Lily for a long time now. He'd been more fascinated by her than anything else. It had to have been at least three years since he'd really disliked the girl. His hatred had stopped being a loathing and turned into infatuation. He remembered occasions in the past when he'd enjoyed annoying her, and realised he hadn't liked it because she'd been angry. He'd enjoyed it because she was paying attention to him. He had known it subconsciously then, he knew it consciously now. He liked Lily Evans, and he didn't have a clue about how to get her to feel the same.

His former tactics of seduction were useless now. He was completely helpless.

&&&

Lily sat, ready for the day, at the Gryffindor table, downing her cereal. She felt clean and ready for the day, her hair pulled back as tightly as was physically possible from her face. Her face was, as usual, completely clear of makeup and shiny with health. Her robes were neat and unwrinkled and her black school shoes were shiny.

Sighing, she glanced at her timetable. She'd been given it the night before by Professor McGonagall.

It was very full, and she'd gotten all the subjects she'd wanted. This term was going to be good for her – her last year at Hogwarts and she was likely to do well. Grinning, she downed the last of her cereal and got up from the table. She turned to leave and got a huge shock to see James standing behind her, watching her with interest.

She gasped - her heart racing. She'd thought she was alone at the Gryffindor table. She definitely hadn't heard him walk up behind her. She blinked confusedly a few times before regaining composure. "What do you want, Potter?" she snapped, annoyed that she'd been caught so off guard by the boy.

He shrugged carelessly. "What a person generally wants early in the morning, Evans. Breakfast. Now would you kindly remove yourself from right in front of me so I can get past?"

She glowered for a moment before stepping around him and leaving. James watched her go, his stomach heavier than before. She was walking quickly, but her steps were even and she walked with her head high, her authoritative posture still beautiful to James even if she was less than indifferent to him.

"She's just another chick," he told himself. Then, unable to stop himself, he snorted out aloud, earning himself a glare from a sixth year Hufflepuff who was sulking into her breakfast. The hall was nearly empty but people were starting to trickle in. He gave the sixth year a withering glance, turned and left. He'd lost his appetite already.

&&&

Sirius, Remus and Peter were beginning to wake as James re-entered the dormitory. He put on a smile and forced himself to sound cheerful, even though all he wanted was to go back to sleep for another few hours and stop thinking about that elusive redhead who was occupying his thoughts so much recently.

"Take your time waking up," he said, smiling lightly at the boys. "Come on, classes will be starting within the next hour and a half."

Peter opened a sleepy eye and muttered, "What the hell are you doing up so early anyway, Prongs? You were the last to go to bed last night and the first up in the morning. Normally you can't bear to be awake early and sleep at least until midday."

James shrugged, not answering. He walked over to Peter's bed and pulled the covers off, causing Peter to shriek and throw his pillow at James.

"All right, all right! I'm up!" Peter got up and stormed into the bathroom, muttering obscenities all the way. James grinned at his handiwork and collapsed on his own bed, staring up at the ceiling, once again picturing Lily's face as she'd cuttingly snapped at him earlier.

"What's up, Prongs?" asked Remus, who was sitting up in bed, blinking and trying to accustom himself to the bright daylight.

James tensed. "What do you mean?" he asked, sitting up himself. "I'm fine."

Sirius yawned and rubbed his eyes. "You are always the last person to get up in the mornings, Prongs. You're up early and you were really quiet at the party last night. What gives?"

James shrugged. "Nothing's wrong, I'm just getting back into the swing of being at school again. You know, being Head Boy and having all this responsibility."

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, that's going to suck a bit for you. But at least we won't get into half as much trouble now, Moony still being a prefect and you being the Head Boy. We can cause twice as much mischief for the same amount of consequences!"

"Or we could cause the same amount of mischief for less consequences," Remus suggested, grinning slightly at Sirius's enthusiasm.

"Well, that's no fun, Moony," Sirius said, pouting slightly. "We're Marauders after all, it's our job to disrupt the school and interrupt learning."

Remus rolled his eyes and studied James closely, ignoring Sirius completely now. "Are you still thinking about Lily, Prongs?"

James stared at him, his eyes wide. "Moony, you have got to stop doing that." He groaned and lay back on his bed. "I was thinking about her, yes."

Sirius looked up, immediately interested. "You mean you finally realised that you actually like her, after all these years of tormenting her?"

James groaned audibly. "Why didn't you guys pound it into my head? Now I've gone and screwed up any chances I had with her by being an insufferable git towards her!"

Remus shook his head. "We did try to tell you, Prongs. It was attempted several times actually. But you bit our heads off and laughed at us every time we even mentioned the mere possibility of you liking Lily."

James sighed. "Well …," he paused, not liking the idea of saying it out loud in case it made it real and there was a way he could somehow convince himself that what he felt was in fact imaginary, "I think I do like Lily."

He was right, once he'd said it, it made it immediately real and he started to wish he'd just kept it to himself. The others didn't look surprised, and James realised that they really had known for a while and weren't simply goading him. He buried his head in his hands. "Oh, crap. What the hell do I do now?"

Peter poked his head out of the bathroom. "Am I missing something important?"

"James has come to terms with his secret adoration for Lily," Sirius informed him.

"Dammit! Why do I always miss the good bits in the conversation?" Peter griped. He sat down on Remus's bed and looked at James. "So what are you going to do? She hates you."

James glared. "Yes, Wormtail, I am aware that she hates me. I don't know what I'm going to do. But thank you for your kind words; you have a knack for lifting my mood."

"No worries," Peter answered cheerfully. "But seriously, are you going to try and get her to go out with you, or are you just going to ignore her and try to forget that you're hot for her?"

James flinched at both suggestions. "How about I simply pretend that I don't exist?" he suggested himself. "That would solve everyone's problems."

Remus sternly looked at him. "That would solve nothing. Do you simply fancy her or does she actually mean something to you?"

James thought for a moment. He didn't want to voice the thoughts he'd had about Lily. They were private, and for his own viewing only. Toughening his expression, he shrugged and said, "Well, like I said, she's just like any other girl really." This had no effect on Remus, who seemed to have guessed his real answer anyway. Sirius wrinkled his nose and shrugged at Peter who was looking confused at the conversation's sudden change. James was blankly staring at the window, inwardly fighting his continuing argument about whether or not Lily really did mean anything to him.

He rose and abruptly stopped the conversation. He didn't think he could cope with hearing any more about Lily Evans. If he did, he was likely to explode. "Let's get ready for classes. We've got Transfiguration up first."

As the other boys grudgingly got up and readied themselves for the day, he stared moodily at the door. He'd gotten himself into this horrible mess, now he'd have to somehow get himself out. Shaking his head, he banished thoughts of Lily Evans from his mind. She was nothing more than another girl. She was nothing special. She was just a girl.

&&&

When Jenny, Sarah and Emma woke the next morning, they realised that Lily had already been and left. Her books and clothes were gone and her bed was neatly made with even her pyjamas folded on the pillow.

The three girls talked as they dressed. They had all noticed the looks that James had been giving Lily, and they had seen how awkward she'd felt under his unrelenting stare.

"She hates him, he hates her. So why were they acting like that?" Jenny asked, her quiet voice full of confusion.

Emma hopped around madly, trying to put a sock on her foot. "Perhaps she doesn't hate him. We should check that. Or maybe he doesn't hate her. We should check that too."

"For heaven's sake, Emma, that sock is obviously too small. Wear a pair of mine instead." Sarah threw over a pair of pale yellow socks, knocking over Emma who was still hopping around.

"Thanks," Emma called, half laughing.

"Anyway, we know that he hates her, did you see the way that he talked to her on the carriages coming here? He so does not like her at all. And she glared at him with so much force I'm surprised he didn't wither on the spot. No, there's nothing more than hatred between the two of them – at least for the moment." Sarah opened her mouth wide to apply mascara on her bottom lashes.

"That's a very attractive look, Sarah," said Jenny, giggling. "Anyway, people's opinions can change within a very short time span. Perhaps he's realised what a nice person she is and has changed his mind about her?"

Emma snorted. "Well, he's going to have a hard time with her. There's no way in hell that she would sleep with him just because he's James Potter. That's definitely not Lily Evans."

"They have to share a common room. Perhaps they'll start a secret romance or something," said Sarah.

"You are obsessed with secret romances. You read far too many trashy Muggle novels. They won't have a secret romance," scoffed Emma.

"They'll probably end up at least friends – they have to work so closely that something is bound to change their opinion of each other," Jenny insisted.

"We can't know for sure. We'll wait and see." Emma had finally succeeded in pulling on both her socks and shoes. "I vote we go ask Lily what she thinks of him."

&&&

Transfiguration had begun, and the teacher (Professor McGonagall) was pacing up and down the front of the room lecturing them about this being their final and most important year. Lily soaked in every word, although she'd already had this lecture from her parents and it was her own opinion anyway. But motivation was always helpful, and the more she had to begin with, the longer it would last.

James sat two rows behind Lily, and three seats to the left. From here, he had a good view of the side of her face and the back of her head. She was so beautiful. How could he have missed seeing someone so gorgeous, so obviously beyond even his wildest fantasies? How could he have permanently screwed his chances with said person? There was no way Lily Evans would ever like him back. He sighed and shifted in his seat.

"Mr Potter? Is there something distracting you?" Professor McGonagall snapped irritably.

James looked around at the class, seeing everyone staring at him. He knew they were waiting for the traditional wisecrack that he'd use to counter the teachers cross words, and consequently get a detention if she was in a bad mood. But he didn't have the mind nor the energy to think one up today.

"No, Professor," he replied politely. Every person in the class raised their eyebrows and some looked rather disappointed. Lily looked over at him, and upon seeing him return her gaze, she gave him a curt nod and returned her gaze to the teacher.

Remus watched James. Boy, James had it bad.

&&&

**A/N:** Hey guys! Sorry about the short chapter, but I was really busy for the past few weeks and decided that it was better to post this than nothing for another two weeks. I hope this is okay, I wrote it a bit quickly. Any opinions, feedbacks, suggestions – you all know what to do! Drop me a review and I promise to try and incorporate any ideas.

Quick question for you – I'm really actually very interested to know. In your review, should you be wonderful enough to drop me one, could you tell me which of the Harry Potter boys you fancy most? (If you're a guy, feel free to tell me which girl you fancy most if you're uncomfortable with deciding which boy :P)

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! You're all amazing, wonderful creatures who ought to be commended. I hand out chocolate bars to every one of you.

Ronin Daiymo: Okay, if you really want me to! Na, I got that that was sarcastic. But unfortunately for you, there's probably loads more on the way. Oh no! lol keep reading! And yes, the weird vibes are just you and your kinky mind!

Ronin Daiymo: Since you wrote two reviews, you get two replies. That's amazing! Total ego boost. Thank you so much! I'm very motivated to write now, but I sincerely hope this doesn't damage what you thought in your review:D

XO Moonsong: Hmmmm … probably. That thought didn't really occur to me. Damn. It's a bit too late now, isn't it. Well, they are going to share a common room, so that's pretty close to having their own rooms? Anyway, it will have to do I suppose. Thank you, and please keep reading! XXOO

Maraudermap03: Thank you! I'm trying to hurry it through the whole James realising blah blah blah thing, so that we can get to the interesting part. Only thing is that now I have no idea where to go from here. Any ideas would be muchly appreciated my dear! Hugz to you!

Rhandi: Awwww, you are just the sorta person I love to have reading my stories. I shall complete this story just for you. How does that sound? I hope it stays good til the end, it might be a long one or a short one depending on how it goes. I'm really glad you liked it, and I hope you keep reading. Lots and lots of chocolate goes out to you, my wonderful reviewer!


	4. Lucius gets rejected and punched

**Untouchable**

**Stardrops**

Summary: Lily Evans was beautiful, intelligent and mysterious. People saw her as untouchable. James Potter was a handsome, outgoing and popular. The two despised each other –determined to keep their relationship strictly that of enemies. But as time goes on, they begin to grow up and develop feelings that go much deeper than hatred. Their mutual fear of love becomes a myth when they discover that love really does overcome everything.

Disclaimer: The characters, settings and basic plots of the Harry Potter novels belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing.

**Chapter Four: Lucius gets rejected – and punched.**

James sat alone at a table in the library. It was the end of the first week of term, and his head was almost aching with the amount of thoughts it had been processing. All day long, mixed in with the thoughts about school and what he was supposed to be thinking about was the inescapable, continuous flow of Lily Evans through his mind. It was going to have an effect on his sanity at some point, he was sure.

By some twist of sadistic fortune, he'd ended up with Lily in every class of his. They were allowed to use their shared common room starting that night. And on top of that – everywhere he went; his eyes seemed to catch a glimpse of red hair that immediately drew his attention away from whatever else he was doing at the time. It was really beginning to frustrate him. How was he ever going to concentrate on anything else?

He was surprised that he did not see Lily in the library at that time, but it did not trouble him too much. The less he saw of Lily Evans, the less likely he was to grow too fond of her.

Sighing, he got up and left the library. Some fresh air would do him well, particularly while the warm weather lasted. He always loved the heat of the autumn, neither too cold nor too warm. There was something serenely beautiful about the golden leaves and browned carpets that littered the grounds of Hogwarts.

He strode casually down towards the lake, where the setting sun reflected brilliantly off the waters. Breathing in the air, he felt like he was breathing in the entire scene. Smiling to himself, he closed his eyes and lost himself in the moment. Lily Evans was banished from his mind, both conscious and unconscious for the present time.

He was just enjoying the peace and quiet he had to himself when suddenly it was disturbed by a spiteful, nasty voice floating across the air almost directly into his ears. "… Think she is? … I do not … pathetic little Mudblood."

James's eyes remained closed, but he sighed with irritation building up inside him. Trust Slytherins like Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape to disturb his tranquillity. He had almost managed to control himself and simply ignore them when he heard something that made his blood run cold.

"I dunno why you asked her. She's not that pretty. And besides – you don't even like her."

"Does anybody?" Two low, callous chuckles greeted this question.

"Well, rumour has it that she's the only girl in the school who has never been around."

"What? Evans?"

James's eyes shot open. What? They were talking about someone Evans. There wasn't anyone else at Hogwarts called someone Evans. It was only Lily. They had to be talking about her. How dare they? They'd called her a Mudblood. And they had said she wasn't pretty. She was pretty. She was the prettiest, most beautiful creature he'd ever laid eyes on.

"So, is that why you asked her?" James could detect the smug sound of Severus Snape's voice in this question.

"Why does anyone ask anyone to the Ball? To get laid, of course. What did you think, someone might actually like _her_?"

James's eyes narrowed and his heartbeat quickened. They were not saying this. This was not happening. He wasn't going to be able to keep quiet much longer.

The sound of Snape's sneering voice and slimy laughter floated through his ears, trapped in his mind. "She wouldn't have been any good, anyway."

Lucius's barking laugh was sounded in return. "Well, it's a good thing to have on your record, the first guy to bed the Head Girl. She's just a boring, frigid Mudblood, anyway." His voice dripped with contempt that hastily hid his resentment at obviously being rejected.

James's blood boiled. They were talking about Lily. His Lily. Lucius had asked Lily to the Christmas Ball. How dare he? He couldn't help feeling slightly triumphant that Lucius had been turned down, but that soon disappeared at the fact that they were walking less than ten feet away and calling his Lily a pathetic, frigid, boring Mudblood.

He snapped. Turning abruptly, he walked briskly towards the Slytherin pair. His footsteps were heavy, and sounded with loud thuds as he stomped along the path. Lucius looked up in surprise and nudged Severus when he realised who was approaching. They both smirked.

"Oh, look. It's the saintly Head Boy, coming to reprimand us for breathing," said Lucius in a snide, jeering voice. "Wonderful to see you, Potty."

James ignored this comment. With one final step, he bunched his hand into a tight fist, so tight in fact that his knuckles were completely white, and with all his might, he let it fly.

There was a sharp smack followed almost immediately by a crack as Lucius crumpled to the ground. James glared furiously down at him. "From now on, talk about girls with a little more respect, or you'll have more coming your way, you arsehole."

Severus whipped out his wand and aimed it at James, his breath slightly uneven at the anticipation of a fight. "Touch him again, and I swear I will," he smugly hissed, narrowing his eyes and lowering his head to glare evilly at James. James smirked.

"Oh, please. You are the worst in the entire Charms class. I'm safer on this side of your wand than on the other. You're in worse danger than I am my dear slime ball."

Severus's face twisted in anger and he pursed his lips. Flicking his wand, he shot a jet of yellow light towards James who deftly avoided it and watched it singe the trunk of a nearby tree.

James smirked and was about to make some smart comment about Severus's pathetic aim, but a raised, female voice came shrieking into their midst.

He turned to see an irate Professor McGonagall jogging towards them, her fierce eyebrows like two dark smears of charcoal across her forehead. Rolling his eyes in exasperation, he looked at the sprawling Lucius who was still lying on the ground. To his surprise (but not regret), he could see a trickle of blood beginning to ooze from the side of Lucius's mouth, which was warped with loathing as he looked up at James.

"Just what is going on here?" McGonagall barked, coming to a halt beside Severus. She took in the sight of Lucius on the ground and gasped. Looking accusingly at Severus, her eyes narrowed.

Seeing that he was about to get the blame for this, Severus hastily pointed to James. "It was Potter, Professor. He attacked Malfoy for no reason at all, and then started threatening us."

To James's dismay, McGonagall was now glaring at him. He knew it was pointless to try and defend himself, but it didn't stop him from attempting it.

"Professor – I didn't _attack_ him as such … and not for no reason either – it was -," he stammered before she interrupted him impatiently.

"Potter, I am in no mood for your excuses. Violence is not permitted under ANY circumstances, and you especially ought to be setting a good example for the other students. Both you and Mr Snape will go up to Dumbledore's office right away and he will discuss the possibility of you losing your post as Head Boy."

James hung his head and turned to go, but Severus looked up, disbelieving. "Why should I have to go? I didn't attack anyone!"

James snorted, his eye catching the burn mark on the tree trunk. Professor McGonagall was obviously thinking the same thing, because she looked very pointedly at the singed trunk and then raised an eyebrow, inviting him to argue further. Snape got the point and closed his mouth, sulking.

"Oh – get up and stop whining," she snapped at Lucius, who was holding his jaw and moaning. "Madam Pomfrey will be able to fix it in a second, if you can get yourself up to the hospital wing before you get in another fight. Now go."

None of the boys moved, all glaring at each other with utmost loathing. Professor McGonagall looked from each to the next, her face darkening. "Now!" she bellowed.

Hastily, Severus and James scrambled up the hill, keeping at least a metre between them at all times. Lucius followed, but more slowly, still clutching his jaw.

"What's the matter, Potter?" Severus spat. "Got the hots for Evans, do you?"

"Shut up, Snape." James didn't bother looking at him, knowing that if he did, he would be very likely to simply smack Severus in the face. How dare they – the both of them – talk about Lily in such a manner? She didn't deserve even to have them talking about her, much less deserve to have such insults poked at her behind her back. He was fiercely angry – yet confused as to why. He just couldn't bear to think of anyone insulting her.

She was beautiful. Why had they said she wasn't? He'd never seen anyone more beautiful in all his life. She didn't need makeup or flattering clothes, she could wear a sack or a cardboard box – or even a dress made from grubby old newspapers, and he would still think she was the most beautiful girl in the entire universe.

It wasn't only her beauty that made her enthralling either; she was just so pure and wholesome. It was most likely that they had been correct in saying that she hadn't 'been around,' but that didn't make her a target for seduction. It just added to her mystery.

His thoughts were interrupted.

"Well – just as well you don't then. I mean, she obviously hates you," Severus said, smirking. James's teeth clenched as he realised that Snape had guessed his secret infatuation with the redhead and was now trying to goad him into starting another fight. But the worst thing about what Severus was saying was that it was all true.

James simply did not reply. Snape was still waiting for a comeback, and receiving none, he opened his mouth to offer another of his pathetic insults. However, it never reached James's ears, because at that moment they had reached the staircase to the Headmaster's office. The giant stone statue that revolved as the staircase wound up to the office happily made a lot of noise and drowned out whatever slimy words Severus had muttered.

As the pair stepped into the office, a very grave man sat at the desk at the other side of the room. He looked as though he had been expecting them.

James gulped. Suddenly, the worst punishment was not that he would probably be being removed from his post as Head Boy, or even a suspension, or that his parents would probably be being contacted as he stood in the office. It was the thought of how much this would lower Lily's already small opinion of him.

With this comforting thought, he stepped bravely forward and raised his chin to receive whatever punishment was forthcoming.

&&&

"What on _earth_ possessed you to do that?" Lily yelled, her face red with anger. "You're lucky you weren't expelled, or even arrested! The Malfoys are very well respected in the wizarding community, and you ought not to be fighting anyway. You are the Head Boy! How do you think that looked to all the first years?"

She stopped yelling to catch a breath and to pace angrily around their small yet cosy common room. She whirled back around to face him. "What sort of an example was that to set!"

James slumped in his chair, exhausted from all the stresses of the day and his long detention that night. Dumbledore always seemed to know what was going on even before he'd been told by the students. He'd not asked for a detailed explanation of what they'd done, only an explanation of why. Snape had been sullen, but James was always polite to Dumbledore. He liked the Headmaster. He was very lucky that Dumbledore seemed to share his intolerance for the Slytherin's absent respect for the Head Girl, and let him off lightly. Snape had gotten out lightly also, both serving only a two week term of detention.

That hadn't saved James from the tirade that had greeted him as soon as he entered the joint common room he shared with Lily. She was absolutely furious.

"What reason did you have, anyway?" she asked crossly. Folding her arms across her chest, she pursed her lips and tilted her chin up expectantly. "Go on, then. Justify what you did."

James shrugged. "I heard the jerks saying things about someone I didn't think deserved to be talked about that way."

Lily looked at him incredulously. "So you went and punched him in the mouth? Yeah, that's great, Potter. Resorting to violence is just the sort of stupid thing you would do." She turned on her heel and flounced out of the room.

James watched helplessly as she left. It didn't matter what reason he had given her, she wouldn't have been satisfied. He couldn't help wondering momentarily what she would have said if he'd told her the truth – that he'd been sticking up for her.

Somehow he didn't think it would have been met with gratitude.

&&&

"Did you hear about Potter and Malfoy fighting by the lake yesterday?" Jenny whispered, her eyes wide. Lily simply sighed and nodded. Sarah leaned in closer.

"Do you know why they were fighting? I wonder what it was about." Sarah twirled a finger around a lock of her hair as she spoke.

Jenny leaned in closer to Lily. "You talked to him when he got back from his detention, didn't you? What did he say?"

Lily rolled her eyes and leaned forward confidentially. "He said that he heard them saying things about someone and he didn't like what they were saying or something like that."

Jenny pressed a hand to her heart. "Oh my gosh, that is so sweet!"

Lily groaned. "Oh, Jenny. No. He was just using that as an excuse to beat up Malfoy, you know that they hate each other. He would have found a reason to punch him if he and Snape had been talking about the weather."

"But still – what if it were true?" Sarah asked. "I wonder who they were talking about, anyway. Did he say if it was a girl or just one of his Marauder mates?"

Lily shrugged. "I didn't ask. He didn't say."

Sarah sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Pity. I would have liked to find out."

&&&

Sirius and James were sitting near the back corner of the library, away from all the other students who were studying. The subject of James and Lucius's fight had become the focus of gossip that day, and everywhere he went, James was encountered with pats on the back from fellow Gryffindors, glares from Slytherins, and constant hisses of whispers all around him.

"Mate, I know you like the girl, but I didn't know you were this serious about her." Sirius leaned back in his chair, impressed. "I mean, I've fallen for some chicks in the past, but never seriously enough to punch out someone if they talked about her nastily. Although – it was Malfoy. I would have used any excuse to smash in his big nose too."

James smirked. "He looked really ridiculous there, writhing in pain. I was quite entertained for a while."

Sirius grinned. "Damn, wish I'd been there."

James paused. "I don't know why they made me so mad. I mean – yes I do. They called her a Mudblood, and said she wasn't pretty. And the only reason he asked her to the ball was because he wanted to shag her."

Sirius nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's pretty bad. I probably would have slugged him too, and I don't even have the hots for her. It's nasty to say about anyone. He was probably bitter at being refused."

"What did he expect, anyway? He asked her now, and it's September. The Ball isn't even until Halloween."

"Perhaps he knew you were going to move in and wanted to try his chances first." Sirius yelped as James whacked him across the chest. "You're really going to have to work on this whole violence thing, Prongs. Really not a good way to lure chicks."

James shrugged and picked at his fingernails.

Sirius watched him for a long moment. "Are you going to ask her to the Ball?"

James looked up. "Padfoot, do I look stupid to you?" Sirius opened his mouth to answer, but James cut him off. "Shut up. She wouldn't say yes, she wouldn't even consider it. She thinks I'm a monster now. Not that she didn't before this incident, though."

Sirius patted James's shoulder comfortingly. "You could try, at least. Lily's nice. She might say yes."

"No," said James despairingly. "It's not ever going to happen. And I don't know why I even entertained the thought of it coming true ever. She thinks I'm an imbecile."

"She's not wrong," Sirius joked.

James forced a smile, but his spirits were still low.

&&&

**A/N: **Okay, here's a very … strange chapter. I know that there's a whole lot of randomness here, but I thought it would be sweet for James to stick up for Lily in a way like that, particularly since him just yelling at Lucius didn't seem very in character. However, this is probably slightly OOC as well, but we'll get over that, won't we:)

Please review if you read it – they really make me work harder!

Druggo-frog: please do, I really hope you like what I've done with it! How are your own going?

XOMoonsong: well…there doesn't seem much to say now, does there? Email pending my dearest!

Amandinka: Oh wow! I feel so special. I like you:D I hope you liked this chapter. I thought it was a little random, but tell me what you think anyway!

Deppfan56: thank you! Here you go!

Stinkypillow: you bet. Super fluffy fluff coming your way, I promise. :) just the way I LOVE to write them. Hehehe.

Ronin Daiymo: You are the only person who bothered to answer that question. How cool are you? Thanks heaps mate, you rock.

Liv Naravul: I changed the name just for you. Do you feel special:) hope so. Thanks heaps for your suggestion, I am always looking for ways to better my stories. Keep reading!

Jazmaine: Yeah, well, I tend to make chapters at least 5 pages. I get really annoyed when they're shorter than that cos it hardly seems worth updating. Anyway, hope you still enjoy it:D

Sibirian Kitten: Awesome! Hope you do keep track. I can't keep track of 800 stories, so if you do then my hat goes off to you. :D Hope you still like what I'm writing!

Terrylove: no, delicate treasures and untouchable are two that I'm not giving up on! I love writing delicate treasures so ill continue that one definitely. Thanks heaps for being interested in not only one, but two of my stories! You rock! And I won't stop writing now that you and a few others have given me pleas not to. I am glad to write if it means something to others, and if it means something to you then it's definitely not worth giving up on. Huggles to you!

Rhandi: Yeah, I hate that too. I promise never to do that. This is my version of short, and it never gets shorter, I promise. Thanks so much for your constant reviews, you are too cool. Hugs!


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